A North Philadelphia congregation since 1895
Miller Memorial Baptist Church has stood on North 22nd Street in Philadelphia for more than a century, its life rooted in a Sunday school mission that began in the home of Mrs. Betty Houston on Stewart Street in 1895. The founder, Reverend Franklin Walker, organized the work on August 4 of that year, and within seven years the fledgling body had been renamed and the foundations of a lasting institution laid. In 1902, Reverend Samuel Comfort became the second pastor, and in 1903 the congregation was reorganized and named Miller Memorial Baptist Church in honor of Reverend Theodore E. Miller, who helped to organize it. A later sanctuary was purchased in 1907 from a former machine shop at 21st and Jefferson and remodeled into a church edifice by 1913. Ground was broken on the present building at 1518 N. 22nd Street in 1925, with the ground, building and furnishings purchased for $122,740.13.
The twentieth century brought rapid growth under Reverend Wilkins E. Jones, who accepted the call in June 1904 and saw attendance swell. He was succeeded in 1936 by his son, Reverend John Luke Jones, whose tenure was marked by a debt-free church: the $25,000 first mortgage was burned on December 13, 1933, and the second mortgage was burned on February 12, 1937. The church opened the Excelsior School of Religious Education on September 24, 1939, and in 1965 added an Educational Annex at a cost of $250,000. A sanctuary fire caused more than $70,000 in damage during that era, but trustees Joseph F. Trent and Enoch Johnson, both building contractors, led the rebuilding.
Reverend Roland V. Jones, Sr., a son of the church, was installed as the fifth pastor on February 14, 1971, and under his leadership the congregation launched a long list of ministries: the Scholarship Committee, Vacation Bible School, the Deaconess Board, the Good Friday Service, the Easter Sunrise Service, the President's Council, the Golden Alert Fellowship, Cottage Meetings during Revival week, shut-in Holy Communion visits, recognition of fifty-year members and the weekly church bulletin. By June 1990 all mortgages were paid in full, and a Transportation Committee organized the purchase of a church bus for $41,000. After Reverend Jones's transition on January 21, 1993, the church called Reverend Wilkins O. Jones, Sr., the great-nephew of the church's third pastor, who launched Community Day, the Missionary Society, the Share A Blessing Ministry and a mentoring partnership with Reynolds Elementary School. After his passing in November 2001, Reverend Henry Baldwin, a former Tuskegee Airman, served as interim pastor and oversaw the completion of a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen. Reverend Dr. Wayne M. Weathers was installed on February 1, 2004, beginning the Intercessory Prayer Ministry, a Saturday Morning Men's Bible Study, and Spiritual Gifts and Leadership Classes.
Reverend Damaris Walker, the seventh pastor
On October 28, 2018, the congregation elected Reverend Damaris Y. Walker, Esq., a churchman, preacher and teacher from Salem Baptist Church of Jenkintown, to become the seventh pastor. He accepted on January 20, 2019. A native of North Philadelphia, Reverend Walker first sensed the call to ministry as a boy, often sharing the gospel with neighbors and friends. He was licensed to preach in 2001 and ordained in 2002.
Reverend Walker's path to Miller Memorial ran through two earlier pastorates. He served as the youngest pastor in Philadelphia at the time, leading a missionary Baptist church in North Philadelphia for eight years, where he instituted a new members class, a Bible breakfast and a tutoring and mentoring program with local colleges. He later served as an associate minister at Rising Sun Baptist Church in South Philadelphia, supporting the pastor as worship leader and preaching on the third and fifth Sundays. Most recently, he assisted Pastor Marshall Paul Hughes Mitchell at Salem Baptist Church of Jenkintown, helping modernize the Christian Education Ministry and building a robust youth ministry.
A James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar and Rufus Choate Scholar at Dartmouth College, Reverend Walker graduated with highest honors and in the top five percent of his class, earning a bachelor of arts in Religion and English and the Pamela Joyner Prize in African American Studies for his senior thesis, "Meeting the Demands of Faith and Body." He went on to earn his law degree at Yale Law School, practiced at a global law firm in New York, and returned to Philadelphia as a real estate attorney and the CEO of DYW Development Company, which has developed more than forty properties. "MMBC is a dynamic, multigenerational church that loves God and people," Reverend Walker writes in his welcome. "Whether you are new to the faith or a believer who is new to MMBC, in Philadelphia or beyond, there is a place for you in our fellowship."
Sunday worship and the rhythm of the week
Worship at Miller Memorial centers on Sunday morning at 1518 N. 22nd Street. The doors open with a Sunday Morning Devotion at 10:15 a.m., a brief service of meditation, prayer, testimony, song and scripture that prepares hearts for the Morning Worship at 10:30 a.m. Holy Communion is observed on the second Sunday of each month and Baptism on the first Sunday, both during the 10:30 service. Before the day begins, an 8:30 a.m. Sunday prayer service gathers in the sanctuary.
The weekly schedule extends well beyond Sunday. Mondays begin at 6:30 a.m. with Morning Prayer by conference call. Wednesdays are anchored by an 11 a.m. Bible Study, followed by prayer at noon and again at 6 p.m., and capped by Word on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the same call line (701-802-5116, access code 7916663). Adult Sunday School meets Sundays at 6 p.m. by Zoom, and a Friday night Zoom Bible Study is in session by late September. Saturday opens with Morning Prayer at 9 a.m. Members who need a ride can request van transportation by calling the church office at (215) 765-3616 (Option 5) and leaving their information by Friday at noon.
Becoming part of the family
Miller Memorial walks new believers through membership with the same care it has shown for more than a century. After an initial decision to follow Christ, prospective members join a New Members Class, then continue with Christian education tools that include a Spiritual Gifts Assessment, Adult and Youth Sunday School, day and evening Bible Study, and Vacation Bible School. A Spiritual Gifts Class resumes each September to help members discern the gifts the Holy Spirit has given them.
Sacred milestones are marked publicly. Child Dedication is offered on the first Sunday for parents who wish to place a child in God's care. Baptism by immersion follows Colossians 2:12 as the outward sign of inward death to sin and resurrection into new life and is a prerequisite of church membership. Holy Communion is observed in worship on the second Sunday of each month. Those who are homebound receive communion brought to them by the Deaconesses.
Teaching and prayer ministries
The Christian Education Ministry, led for more than twenty-five years by Senior Associate Reverend Shirley J. James, offers small groups, Adult and Youth Vacation Bible School, Bible Study, the New Members' Class and Sunday School. Reverend David Pridgen, a Magna Cum Laude graduate of both the Wharton School and Palmer Theological Seminary, teaches Sunday School, Bible Study and Vacation Bible School. The Intercessory Prayer Ministry, directed by Associate Minister Dawn S. Duppins, gathers an anointed group of believers who intercede on behalf of the church, the pastor, the body of Christ and the world. Sister Rhoda Chasten coordinates the Virtual Sunday School. Children's Church meets on the second and fourth Sundays at 10:30 a.m.
Music, dance, and a Founders' Ministry
Music has long been central to worship at Miller Memorial. The Choir "expresses a consciousness of Jesus Christ through the songs of Zion," teaching and encouraging the congregation by uplifting and praising God's name. The Dance Ministry invokes the spirit of praise through liturgical dance, drawing on the Psalmist's call to praise the Lord's name with the dance. The Founders' Ministry preserves the church's proud history through archives and oral and visual presentations. The Cafeteria Ministry provides meals for luncheons, banquets and repasts following funeral services, supported by the church's commercial kitchen.
Leadership and lay governance
Reverend Walker is assisted by a deep bench of clergy and lay leaders. Reverend Shirley J. James serves as Senior Associate Reverend and Director of Christian Education. Reverend David Pridgen, Minister Dawn S. Duppins and Reverend Addie Pate Edmonson round out the associate clergy, with Minister Duppins also leading the Intercessory Prayer Ministry and Reverend Edmonson teaching Christian education. The Trustee Board stewards the church's finances, assets and building. The Deacon Board proclaims the truth of the Bible, teaches that salvation comes wholly by grace, and seeks to bring others into a saving knowledge of Christ. The Deaconess Board prepares baptismal candidates, assists in communion and cares for the sick and shut-in. Boards and ministries meet on a regular monthly cycle laid out on the church calendar: Trustees on the first Monday, the Joint Board on the third Monday, the Church Meeting on the fourth Monday, and a rotating set of usher boards, missionary societies and ministry councils on Saturdays.
Men, women, youth, and serving the block
The Men's Ministry gathers for fellowship events such as the annual Bowling Party at Thunderbird Lanes and a Saturday Morning Bible Study begun under Pastor Weathers. The Scholarship Ministry meets every Saturday evening, and the Deaconesses, Missionary Society and Nurses Unit keep long-standing rhythms of visitation and care. The Youth Ministry Council and Youth Ministry meet on the fourth Saturday at noon, and Children's Church provides age-appropriate formation on the second and fourth Sundays. A Share A Blessing Ministry, dating to the pastorate of Reverend Wilkins O. Jones, Sr., continues to give the church a way to respond to neighbors in need, and food giveaways are posted on the rack outside the church office during the summer. The church's motto, "Exalt the Savior, Equip the Saints, Enlist the Servant, Evangelize the Sinner, and Edify the Community," summarizes the call that has shaped the congregation since 1895.